Listen to plenty of performance gurus, and you'll be easy to think that a nap is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a route towards a better memory, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite athletes are all at it – as do concert pianists, UFC champions and media moguls. But if you haven’t got a room for napping or a career that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Does there exist a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Drive to Snooze
“There are three main reasons for napping in the adult population,” says a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, that is what you do following poor sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, which involves preparing for insufficient sleep coming up, for instance when working on night shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you get a chance to doze in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The primary task to undertake, then, is consider your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – such as, if you’re a new parent, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap because your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the priority ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This means that naps ought not to be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on what time you sleep in the evening). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists discovered that crew members showed up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this involved a six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a specialist. “You'll find much recommendations about the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to lead individuals to become more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Studies would say it is preferable to opt for an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “45 minutes is long enough to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you get up – however, if you take it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing of a sleep cycle and should get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect how you sleep that night.”
Creating an Ideal Snooze Setting
Regarding precise methods, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest employing similar routines one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and minimal light as is feasible. Some advise that you should simply nap on a couch with ambient lighting happens to be around – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bed as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” says an expert. “Without any drowsiness, it is more challenging to recline and essentially tell yourself to nod off. You need some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to wait for a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and if options are scarce – for example, when aiming to fit in 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
